Title: Pfeffernüsse
Categories: Cookies, German
Yield: 84 Cookies
1/2 c Molasses
1/2 c Light corn syrup
1/4 lb Light brown sugar
1/2 c Butter
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Anise seed; crushed
1/4 ts Allspice
1/4 ts Black pepper
1 Egg; well beaten
3 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
In a small saucepan over low heat, mix first 4 ingredients until
blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then stir in spices.
Stir in egg. Pour into very large non-metallic bowl.
Sift together dry ingredients and add, in fourths, to liquid
mixture, mixing well after each addition. (Dough will be very
stiff.) Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to stand over night
at room temperature to blend flavours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1" balls and place on
ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, or until bottoms are
lightly browned. Cool momentarily on sheets, then remove to cooling
rack. (Cookies will stick to baking sheet, so use a firm hand on
the spatula when removing.) While still hot, shake in powdered
sugar to coat. (I used about 1/2 c of sugar for the whole batch.)
Store in covered containers with piece of orange or apple peel for
several weeks to mellow. (Change peel every third day or so.)
This was my grandmother's recipe. Theoretically, this is the way
these cookies are made in the Baden region of Germany, which is a
bit different from other variants of these cookies. Oh, and I
generally let them mellow 3 to 4 weeks before eating. Don't store
them in tins or glass--they end up with an odd taste. Stoneware or
ceramic storage containers seem to work best.
